WATCH: Thousands of beagles freed from breeding facility looking for new homes

Luke Gentile

July 23, 06:00 AM July 23, 06:01 AM

Roughly 4,000 beagles are being rescued from a breeding facility in Virginia after various violations forced the facility to close its doors.

The process began Thursday to free the dogs from the Envigo breeding and research facility in Cumberland, Virginia, according to a report.

Homeward Trails, a rescue organization, has partnered with the Humane Society of the United States to rescue the beagles and help them find new homes in the coming months.

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At least 400 of the beagles were transferred out of the Envigo facility Thursday, according to the report.

Of those 400, 106 were puppies.

Legislation known as the "beagle bills" were recently passed in Virginia with bipartisan support.

"It's a wonderful day for not just everything we’ve been trying to do, but for the beagles as well," Virginia state Sen. Bill Stanley said.

"I think it's a great day for every person who loves dogs, so I'm excited. It's kind of like Christmas in July."

Stanley has adopted two recently rescued beagles, he said.

"These are great, loving animals — I've rescued two of them," Stanley said.

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"I can attest to the fact that they are so grateful to be alive and they renew your spirit in life because they have a renewed spirit of life when their feet first touch the grass and to be petted and loved, and they curl up next to you on the couch."